Today in History 11-25

Today is Monday, Nov. 25, the 329th day of 2013. There are 36 days left in the year.

Today is Monday, Nov. 25, the 329th day of 2013. There are 36 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Nov. 25, 1963, the body of President John F. Kennedy was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery; his widow, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, lighted an "eternal flame" at the gravesite.

On this date:

In 1783, the British evacuated New York, their last military position in the United States during the Revolutionary War.

In 1908, the first issue of The Christian Science Monitor was published.

In 1940, the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker made his debut in the animated short "Knock Knock."

In 1952, the play "The Mousetrap," a murder mystery by Agatha Christie, first opened in London’s West End; it is the longest continuously running show in history.

In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower suffered a slight stroke.

In 1973, Greek President George Papadopoulos was ousted in a bloodless military coup.

In 1980, Sugar Ray Leonard regained the World Boxing Council welterweight championship when Roberto Duran abruptly quit in the eighth round at the Louisiana Superdome.

In 1986, the Iran-Contra affair erupted as President Ronald Reagan and Attorney General Edwin Meese revealed that profits from secret arms sales to Iran had been diverted to Nicaraguan rebels.

In 1999, five-year-old Elian Gonzalez was rescued by a pair of sport fishermen off the coast of Florida, setting off an international custody battle.

In 2001, as the war in Afghanistan entered its eighth week, CIA officer Johnny "Mike" Spann was killed during a prison uprising in Mazar-e-Sharif, becoming America’s first combat casualty of the conflict.

In 2002, President George W. Bush signed legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security and appointed Tom Ridge to be its head.